Mind

Centr Team

6 myths about sleep that aren’t helping anyone

Need some help resting smarter and rising stronger? Try our series Power Sleep with Chris Hemsworth to find audio that works for you.

Myth 2: It’s bad to fall asleep to sounds

White noise, music, talking, whale song… Sound is one of the most natural and effective ways to induce a meditative state, so it makes sense that many people find it effective as a sleep aid.

But there’s also a myth that sound is counter-productive, because while it might help you fall asleep, the ongoing noise will disrupt your overall sleep quality – perhaps even getting less deep or REM sleep.

While it’s true that certain sounds – like a baby crying or smoke alarms going off – are highly likely to jolt you awake, not all sound is created equal.

A review of multiple studies found no evidence that common sounds used to aid sleep (like natural soundscapes, white, pink or brown noise, or slow wave music) are disruptive to overall sleep quality.

So if you swear by a soundscape or podcast to get to sleep, there’s no need to switch off. In fact, we’ve used a number of sound effects in the new Power Sleep series, to ensure there’s something for every kind of sleeper.

Myth 3: For better sleep, go to bed earlier

At some point, we’ve all been told that the simple solution for tiredness is to “go to bed earlier”. But if you’re not actually sleepy, going to bed too early can cause more problems than it fixes.

You can’t make yourself fall asleep simply by going to bed. Reality check: you’re more likely to lay there and worry about not sleeping – “How will I do that very important thing tomorrow if I can’t get any sleep?!” And because this overthinking increases your brain’s alertness, you’ll be even less likely to drift off.

Instead of setting a regular (or earlier) bedtime, focus on nailing a regular wake time. Waking up at the same time each day will give your body the consistency it needs and increase your body’s natural sleep drive.

For example, instead of sleeping in on the weekend, waking up at the same time as you would on a work day will help you to build up a natural ‘sleep debt’ throughout the day. And once you lock in that consistent wake time, you’ll probably find that you get sleepy around the same time each night anyway.

Myth 4: Blue light is destroying your sleep

Brace yourself, because we’re about to bust a big-time piece of conventional sleep wisdom.

Since everyone became glued to their smartphones and devices, blue light has got a bad rap as a destroyer of sleep. But simply think about how common it is to fall asleep in front of the TV and this myth starts to crumble away pretty quickly.

As psychologist Nick Wignall puts it: “The actual effect of blue light exposure on objective sleep quality and duration appears to be very modest – borderline insignificant.”

While it’s true that blue light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, the impact is less severe than you might think. It only takes roughly 15 minutes for melatonin return to normal levels after you switch off the blue light source, and one recent study found that blue light had no impact on self-reported sleep quality.

We’re not saying you should take your laptop to bed. Avoiding electronics is still a worthy sleep habit, because using devices keeps your mind alert and engaged and blue light does appear to have a small impact. But there’s no need to stress about quickly checking something on your phone, stop watching an hour of TV in the evening, or start wearing those expensive blue light glasses at night.

The stress and worry could have a bigger impact on your sleep than the blue light does.

Myth 5. Drinking alcohol before bed helps you sleep better

The keyword here is “better”. Alcohol can make you drowsy (and more likely to fall asleep), but your sleep quality will suffer considerably – especially later in the night.

When you sleep with alcohol in your system, you’ll experience more deep sleep earlier in the night – which sounds good – but you’ll be prone to waking more once your body has metabolized the alcohol. This leads to more waking throughout the night and lower quality sleep overall.

Experts recommend avoiding alcohol at least three hours before bedtime, or more if you’re sleep-deprived or particularly sensitive to alcohol.

Our advice? If you want the best sleep possible, avoid a nightcap entirely. Even a small amount of alcohol – less than 2 drinks for men and less than 1 drink for women – can decrease your sleep quality by 9.3%.

Myth 6. Napping makes up for a lack of sleep

Sadly, it doesn’t. You can’t pay off ‘sleep debt’ with napping during the day.

Power naps are great for a quick energy boost during the day, but they are not a substitute for quality sleep at night. When you nap, you don’t progress through the regular sleep stages as you would during the night, which also means you won’t experience the benefits of a typical night's sleep.

You could also be setting up a vicious cycle with regular, extended napping. When you catch up on lost sleep with a long nap, you may find it harder to fall asleep, which usually means a lack of sleep the morning after.

But if you really need a quick snooze during the day, follow these guidelines.

• Nap before 3 p.m. – to reduce any interference with nighttime sleep.

• Keep your naps short – 20 minutes max to avoid grogginess.

• Get comfortable – nap in a cool, dark place so you can fall asleep faster.

Disclaimer: This content is not intended as a substitute for medical treatment. If you have experienced sleep issues for three months or more, are facing excessive drowsiness that causes safety concerns, frequently snore loudly, or have been observed having difficulty breathing during sleep, please seek qualified medical advice. For a list of registered healthcare providers worldwide specializing in behavioral sleep medicine, please visit The Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Looking for more sleep advice?

• How did you sleep last night?
• 4 things that make insomnia worse
• Fatigued vs tired: the difference matters for sleep
• 9 science-backed fixes for your sleep problems
• Is sleep anxiety keeping you awake?